It was hot. It was hilly. It was seven days long. But our two-person Team Google prevailed last week, cycling over 600 miles of hills and coastline to raise money for AIDS research and services. John Barabino and I joined more than 1,200 other cyclists for the grueling-but-exhilarating trip down the California coast - from San Francisco to Los Angeles - for AIDS LifeCycle 3. We were thrilled to be part of the effort to raise $5+ million dollars for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, both of which provide extensive services to people with AIDS.

We couldn't ride 600 miles as Team Google without a bit of corporate pride, and our Google cycling jerseys became such hot commodities that we wound up giving them out to other riders.

The event was so satisfying that I've decided to do it again next year. With luck, more Googlers will join Team Google. But even better would be not having to ride for this epidemic, because we will have eliminated it.